8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable resource for consumers, November 27, 2008
This review is from: The Buying Guide 2009 (Consumer Reports Buying Guide) (Paperback)
For those of you familiar with this annual volume, the good news is that the 2009 Consumer Reports Buying Guide is out. For those not familiar with this publication, it is a compendium of ratings and evaluations of a wide array of products. Major categories reviewed include: home entertainment (e.g., camcorders and televisions); kitchen, bath, and laundry (e.g., countertops, washers and dryers); Home and yard (e.g., air conditioners, paints and stains for both interior and exterior); computers, phones, and peripherals (e.g., cell phones, GPS navigation systems); autos. The book concludes by rating quality and reliability of many of the products just mentioned. As the introductory comments emphasize (Page 5): "The Consumer Reports Buying Guide for 2009 is your handy one-stop source for making intelligent, informed, money-saving purchases for all your home and personal needs." A bit overstated, perhaps, since many classes of products aren't reviewed. But, in spirit, that sentiment is accurate.
One of the most used portions of the work is the section on automobiles. There is an awful lot of material here to digest. First, the 2009 models are rated by category, with some makes being recommended and others not. For instance, sedans under $20,000. Subaru Impreza rates highest, with other recommended makes including Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, and Ford Focus. Next comes a review of all 2008-2009 models, with 4-5 lines of material providing an evaluation of each make. After that, a welcome segment on assessing used cars--the good bets and the turkeys. While shopping for a used car for my son a handful of years back, I carried the Buying Guide with me to the different dealerships we looked up. It provided useful context in deciding which car to buy (it turns out that a used Honda Accord filled the bill nicely). Next, reliability of all makes of used cars on several dimensions, such as engine, trim, and audio system. Finally, an assessment of tires. Overall, a valuable resource to check when contemplating purchase of a new or used vehicle.
Other products, such as televisions, vacuum cleaners, ranges, and washers get analogous treatment.
All in all, a wonderful resource for consumers.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, October 15, 2009
Probably Consumer Reports is best known for its accurate ratings on cars. But we also found this guide very useful for recent replacements of a 13-year-old washing machine with a worn out water pump and a toaster. It's a highly recommended little book, with lots of excellent detail on the finer points of mechanical and electronic devices as well.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No MP3 players in here, December 29, 2008
This review is from: The Buying Guide 2009 (Consumer Reports Buying Guide) (Paperback)
This is an invaluable reference book - I wouldn't buy my new washer/dryer without first consulting the newest Buying Guide. You can't beat the price for the information and it's all laid out in charts for easy, one-stop, unbiased comparison that you can carry with you to the store. Of course, once you have it, you start looking at all the other appliances/vehicles/gadgets you've been thinking about buying which leads to my only gripe - no MP3 player ratings in this edition.
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